Friday, July 20, 2018

Jasper National Park

Up early driving to Pyramid Lake, and we get to hang out with an elk.


Alas, we spend some time at Pyramid Lake hoping to see Pyramid Mountain, but the clouds were still low and yet to burn off.


So we went driving and found this amazing riverside picnic spot!  And the sun was beginning to do its magic on the clouds.


Starting to see some mountains....


A quick stop at Athabasca Falls


Athabasca Pass

Now, later in the afternoon, seeing the tops of mountains.  From here on out, for the rest of the trip, BLUE SKIES.

Late in the afternoon, we took a cruise on Maligne Lake.  I was blown away at the beauty and spectacular combination of glacial lake and snow covered mountains.



The mountains that surround Maligne Lake are named the Queen Elizabeth II mountains as a gift to the monarch for her coronation.  She's never visited the mountains named for her.







Turns out the cloudy and rainy weather on the day and days before we arrived blanketed the mountaintops with snow.



On our way back to Jasper town, we spent some time with this black bear.

I put the car between the bear and myself.  Onions is sitting the the passenger seat with the open door.


We decided to head back to Pyramid Lake and have a picnic dinner and here's the cloud formation we were treated to.



So, this is Patricia Lake.  I was listening to a podcast that very day about a crazy idea to build an ice ship called Project Habakkuk (check it out on 99% Invisible).  Crazy, but true, turns out it was right here at Patricia Lake that they build the prototype.

The remnants of the prototype are at the bottom of the lake.  And there it was, on the plaque!


There, at the far end of Lake Patricia, the remnants of Project Habakkuk.

Mount Edith Cavell

A final drive through the northern end of the park.  Late light on the mountains.



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